Another Cinderella Story
by jzou70
Summary: She was a lowly maid working for an over-controlling, over-demanding boss. He was a loved, teen hit-sensation on his way to pop-stardom. A masquerade, a phone call, and an unfortunate event later, where do the two end up?


**Another Cinderella Story**

**A/N:** Hey guys! For those of you who read my other story (Refresh), you probably know a bit about this story, but here it goes! I just suddenly had this idea to do a BTR remake of Cinderella (and maybe some other fairy tales later) and after 2 months of on-and-off writing, this is the final product! Just so you know, it's 30 pages long on Word. Anywho, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything

* * *

Jo kneeled over, nails caked with dirt, dust, and grit collected from just hours of work. Her back hurt, but there was nothing she could do about it until she finished cleaning up this mess. She knew that if she even looked up, Bitters would be onto her like a hawk. Sighing, she reached for her rag once more and scrubbed the moldy pool tiles, trying to hold back her gag reflexes. Some inattentive mother had given their child one too many snow cones and the colorful mess splattered onto the floor was the result. As usual, Bitters wanted nothing to do with the commotion and had sent Jo to do his dirty work. She was beginning to regret applying for this job, but then again, she had no choice, really. Not since th—

"Aaahhh!"

Jo looked up, startled, towards the voice that had interrupted her thoughts. Before she could react, a huge wave of water crashed over her, soaking the blond from head to foot. Glaring, her eyes finally found the culprit. _Not again_, she thought as she watched Carlos pull off his shiny black helmet and shake droplets of water out of his hair. This was the 5th time he had cannonballed into the pool—from the 2nd floor balcony—today! The boy, she had quickly discovered, was super energetic, extremely immature, and bordering insane. But, he was adorable in his childish ways, and being a member of a hot boy band, everyone couldn't help but like him, even Jo. The only problem was, he tended to leave a trail of destruction where ever he went.

As if on cue, Mr. Bitters came storming out of his office. "What in the world?" That's when he noticed Carlos. A look of realization came over his face. "Oh…how many times do I have to tell you _not_ to do that?"

"Sorry, Mr. Bitters," Carlos apologized, shooting the hotel manager a sheepish grin before running off.

"Hey! You come back here!" Bitters called after him, clearly not done with his admonishing. After watching the elevator doors shut behind the tan Latino boy and his laughing friends, the annoyed man turned towards Jo. "Now, missy, I hired you to clean this place up—"

"—Actually," Jo began, opening her mouth to correct her boss.

"No, no, no, when I'm your boss, you will not interrupt me, nor will you contradict me, do you hear?" The intelligent blonde nodded solemnly. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes! I didn't hire you to sit there and gawk at my tenants. So, if I catch you off task one more time, I will have no choice but to demote you to Bathroom Attendant."

The girl's eyes widened at the older man's words. "Noo…you wouldn't!"

"Yes I would, and I think we all know how appealing working with Plungy here can be." Mr. Bitters laughed maniacally. "Now go back to your cleaning."

Jo sighed and turned to her dirty rag. She dunked it into the bucket next to her and swished it around in the soapy water before pulling it out and wiping the tiles once more until they shined. Satisfied, Mr. Bitters turned around and walked back into his office, slamming the door shut with an indignant 'hmph'.

* * *

On the other side of the Palmwoods, four mischievous pranksters were hard at work, planning the perfect 'surprise', shall we call it, for their favorite boss, the famous—or infamous, rather—Gustavo Rocque.

"Ahem," A brunette boy with adorable dimples on both cheeks cleared his throat. He pulled a pencil out of his shirt pocket, scribbled some illegible squiggles onto a piece of paper attached to his clipboard before continuing. "I have finished my calculations, and, according to my formula…if you square that…plug that into here…take Euler's stroke of genius and apply it here…find the summation of the result…carry the three…"

The three guys surrounding him stared, mouths agape. "Dude, in English, please?" The tall blonde finally managed.

"Fine," the brunette snapped, clearly not pleased with being interrupted. "I have come to the conclusion that..." He paused for emphasis, "…you three are idiots and we will end up fired if you go through with the plan."

"Wimp!" the boy wearing a helmet cried, "We shall go on as planned!"

"Hear! Hear!" The blonde and the remaining brunette with flawless hair agreed. The other boy could only sigh and mutter, "I need new friends."

* * *

Later that day, after finishing cleaning up the throw up, the pool, and rescuing 2 cats, Jo had had enough. However, Bitters wasted no time putting her to work on some nasty clog. She grimaced, snapping thick, rubber gloves on before grabbing the plunger and clutching onto it angrily. She stomped loudly up the stairs, figuring it would be more effective than jumping up and down in the elevators, and knocked on the door to apartment 2J. Oh, the notorious 2J. She had heard so much about the wild parties that had happened in here, but, of course, those had only been stories, if only she could have been there to experience the real thi—

Her thoughts were interrupted again when the door was open by a petite red-headed woman. She smiled kindly at the Jo. "Hey! Come in! Come in!" The pair stepped into the apartment and the woman shut the door behind Jo. "I'm Ms. Knight, but you may call me Jen! Are you here for Katie?" She turned, preparing to call her daughter's name. Jo quickly interrupted, "Actually, Ms. Knight, I'm here to clean up that nasty clog of yours." She took the plunger from behind her back, as if to prove her point.

"Aren't you a little young?" Mama Knight asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You aren't like that escaped convict Molly, are you?"

"No, no, ma'am, my name's Jo, and I really do work for Mr. Bitters." Jo hurriedly explained.

"Well, in that case, the kitchen is over here," Ms. Knight didn't look pleased, but she led the girl over to the kitchen sink. "I was washing the dishes this morning when I saw a black blob of hair and grease. Now, usually, I'm able to get rid of minor clogs and other nuisances myself, but this was horrible! It was a beast! And it's going down!" The woman shouted the last words animatedly.

"Alright, Ms. Knight, if you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it if you stepped away from the counter. This clog can get really messy." Jo warned. The woman only blinked at her. Sighing, Jo stuck the plunger into the drainage pipe and pressed down hard. A loud groaning noise was emitted, resonating throughout the pipes and shaking the entire foundation of the hotel. All of a sudden, a black substance oozed out from underneath the plunger and grabbed ahold of it. In an instant, the rubber and wooden contraption was sucked down and out of sight.

"Well, I tried," Jo said, not looking one bit surprised, "You might want to contact Bitters and get a 'more experienced' staff member to handle the situation." She said darkly, in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh…okay…" Ms. Knight muttered after a moment, stunned from what she just saw. "Thanks for coming anyways."

"No problem, it's my job, ma'am," Jo replied in a fake cheerful tone. She turned and reached for the doorknob, only to wind up on her rear end, 3 feet away from the door, which had swung open, slamming into the wall. Four boys walked in, looking completely worn out.

"Hey, Mom," The blonde called out. "You'll never believe what happened tod—" he stopped and started at the sight of Jo, sitting stunned on the floor. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up." He reached a hand out, which Jo gratefully took. When their hands connected, they both felt sparks shoot through their entire bodies. Their eyes connected for a moment, her blue ones to his green ones. Then, Jo was on her feet, her hand letting go of the boy's and reaching down to dust off her ripped jeans.

"Thanks," She whispered so only he could hear, "I better go." And with that, she left out the door, disappearing around the corner.

"I don't even know her name!" The blonde muttered, the rest of the boys staring at him in confusion. He turned around to face them, "She's mine!" His statement was mostly directed to the tall brunette, who had whipped out his mirror and was running his lucky comb through his already flawless hair. "Now, Mom, do you want to know what we did today?"

"Was it illegal?" Ms. Knight questioned, concerned.

"No."

"Did anyone get hurt?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay, what was it?"

"Well…we pulled a prank on Gustavo, but it kind of backfired."

A teenage girl who appeared to be the younger sister of the blonde poked her head out from one of the rooms. "Idiot!" She called out before disappearing into her room once more.

"Anyways, before I was rudely interrupted by Katie, the plan backfired and Gustavo got mad. So he made us do 2 hours of harmonies."

"Followed by 3 hours of dance practice with Mr. X" The boy with a helmet on interjected.

"And, finally, he forced us to go to this masquerade ball thing tomorrow." The brunette with adorable dimples finished.

"Hey! Masquerades are cool!" The 'pretty boy' interrupted.

"Yeah, if you're fifty and wrinkly!" The boy in the helmet exclaimed. "And it's not like we're going to have any fun! It's probably going to be full of those stupid business executives Gustavo makes us 'socialize' with." He added.

"For once, I agree with Carlos," The blonde interjected.

"Do something, Mama Knight!" All four boys looked at the older woman, putting on their best puppy-dog faces.

"Sorry boys, no can do, you guys have contracts that clearly state Gustavo is in charge of you, the band, your music, and, unfortunately, marketing, which means that if forcing you guys to go to a masked ball will sell more albums, then so be it." The red-head looked sympathetically at the boys. They had worked so hard to get to where they were now. "Why don't you boys get yourself cleaned up while I make dinner?"

"Fine." They grumbled, slowly trudging away.

* * *

When Bitters finally let Jo leave, she had cleaned 2 bathrooms, scrubbed some more throw up from off the gym floor, and rescued another 4 cats. She slammed the door to her apartment, glad to finally be alone.

"I swear to God, some day, I will get back at that man!" She screamed at no one in particular.

"Relax, it can't be that bad. And, I'm sure you'll forget everything once you hear what I found out." A figure dressed in a complete, black ninja suit jumped down from the ceiling.

"Jesus! Camille, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Jo cried, clutching her chest dramatically. "Now, what's this news you have for me?"

"You know the band Big Time Rush?" Camille asked excitedly.

"Sure…" Jo replied hesitantly. "Wait, do you mean the band you've been obsessing over? The ones who live here at the Palmwoods and hold their famous fire pit sessions?"

"Yep, that's the one! Apparently, their producer is hosting this masquerade ball thing for publicity or something." Camille cried out, "And everyone at the Palmwoods is invited!"

"Awesome!" Jo jumped to her feet, suddenly full of energy, "When is it?"

"Tomorrow," Camille replied, bouncing up and down with her friend.

"Oh…" Jo sank back onto the couch. "I probably can't go then, Bitters won't let me."

"No worries, I've got that all covered!" Camille winked, grinning evilly. "As for now, why don't you go get some sleep, we've got a big day tomorrow!"

* * *

The next day…

Jo jumped in shock when her ringtone, Fun's _We Are Young _came blasting from her phone. "What time is it?" Jo's eyes opened wide, all sleepiness gone. "Sh*t! It's already 11! Bitters is going to kill me!" That's when she remembered the phone. She picked it up one answered the call, "Hello?"

"JO!" Camille's voice blared from the speakers, causing Jo to jump and yank the phone away from her ear. Even through the phone, her best friend sounded crazy.

"Look, Camille, it's I'd love to talk, but I'm kind of late for my job with _Bitters!_" She emphasized the last part, hoping Camille would understand. Her friend merely chuckled through the phone. "What?" Jo asked, both scared and confused at the same time.

"Oh, I dealt with Bitters yesterday after you collapsed from exhaustion." Camille giggled, thinking of the hotel manager, who currently lay, snoring in his office, knocked out by an unusually strong dose of his sleeping medication. Oh the good times. "Anyways, get up, sleepy! We got to go shopping now, or we won't have enough time to prepare for this evening!"

"How do you know I'm still in bed?" Jo asked.

"Because," Camille jumped down from the ceiling once more, this time landing on Jo's bed, causing the startled girl to shriek. "I can see you." She finished. Before Jo could respond, she grabbed a pillow and whacked Jo as hard as she could with it. "Now, I'm leaving in 30, whether you're with me or not."

"I don't wanna…" Jo moaned into her pillow, turning her body away from her friend who merely shrugged and walked out of the room.

Thirty minutes later, both girls climbed out of Camille's car, purses clutched in their hands, ready for an entire evening of shopping.

"Where to begin?" Camille asked excitedly, entwining her arm with Jo's. Jo shrugged, turning as the duo walked through the automatic doors.

Two hours later, both girls staggered out of the mall, clutching bags containing _way_ more than their masquerade necessities. They made their way to Camille's car and crammed everything into the trunk before climbing in.

"Well, I'd say that was a pretty successful day, wouldn't you agree?" Camille asked. Jo smiled and nodded while reaching over to turn on the radio.

"Next up, a song that many of you may be familiar with…Big Time Rush's _Music Sounds Better With You_!" The music immediately began playing and Jo couldn't help but sing along.

"_I try to write this down, the words just don't come out_

_It's hard to say how you feel_

_Been down the longest road, said yes when I meant no_

_I lost control of the wheel_

_'Cause you know that_

_Things get so bad_

_You've got my back._

_Make me wanna sing, and girl I'm singin' 'bout you._

_No sweeter sound than what I've found,_

_No perfect love could be more perfect than us._

_Ooh, baby_

_It feels like, it feels like_

_The music sounds better with you_

_Baby, it feels right, it feels right_

_Everything's better with you_

_I used to think that love—"_

Camille turned to look at her friend, who had suddenly stopped singing.

"That voice…I heard it somewhere…" Jo was muttering under her breath.

"Yeah, on the radio, perhaps?" Camille asked sarcastically.

"No…it was yesterday!" Jo shouted triumphantly.

"What was yesterday?" Camille asked.

"You know how Bitters has been making me work my butt off since _it_ happened?" Jo continued without waiting for Camille's response, "Well, yesterday, there was this nasty clog in apartment 2J. You know the one, right?" Camille's eyes widened in realization, "Noooo," She whispered.

"Yep, and guess who hit me with a door?" Jo replied.

"Not one of the guys!" Camille practically shrieked.

"I think it was Kendall, you know, the blonde?" Jo answered calmly.

"Know!" Camille gasped, "I freaking worship them, especially Logan! And you didn't think to tell me this yesterday?"

"Well, I'm not as obsessed with them as you are, and Bitters has a strict don't-mess-with-the-guests rule, so I didn't really think much about it until now, when I heard his," Jo quickly caught herself, "I mean, their voices." Camille narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You said his…meaning Kendall's…what happened between the two of you?"

"N-nothing!" Jo cried, a little too fast.

"Jo!" Camille warned, "You don't want me to force it out of you, do you?"

Jo sighed. "Fine, I might have, kind of, just a little, felt this teensy, tiny spark when he grabbed my hand to help me up. And his eyes were this gorgeous shade of green, I mean, who knew green could be so pretty, you know?" Her eyes widened when she realized exactly what she had said. "I mean, I like the green color, not his eyes, of course!"

"Yes, Jo, I'm going to fall for that one!" Camille replied, "I know you better than that. Sounds like someone's in lo-ove!" She teased her friend in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up, he probably has no clue who I am."

* * *

"Dude, you need to stop thinking about her!" The boy in the helmet told his blonde friend, who lay face down on the sofa. "You don't even know her name!"

"Yeah, but we, like, connected, for a second there, you know?" Kendall objected. "Oh wait, who am I kidding? You're Carlos, of course you wouldn't know!"

"Okay, that's it!" Carlos warned before jumping onto the back of the bigger boy. At that exact moment, two other boys burst through the door. The tall brunette was clutching a huge bag stuffed full of random shiny items.

"Okay, guys, I've got everything you'll need to look as amazing as you can get for tonight in here." The boy called out, dropping the bag onto the floor.

"Not now, James, I'm kind of busy here," Carlos said, annoyed. James threw his hands up in frustration, muttering something about why he even bothered to try, and walked away towards his room.

"Her again?" The shorter brunette looked at Kendall knowingly. "Come on, man, you don't even know her _name!_"

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" Kendall shouted.

"Because it's true!" Carlos replied.

"Besides, she probably doesn't even know who you are." The brunette added.

"Thanks for the uplifting words, Logan," Kendall muttered sarcastically, before adding, "But you guys are right, I should get over this girl who I don't even know. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to look amazing for tonight." He promptly shoved Carlos onto the floor and walked away.

* * *

Meanwhile, the girls were having a hard time getting all of their bags past the crowded lobby and into the elevator.

"Whoops, sorry!" Jo called out from behind her huge stack of bags as she knocked an innocent passerby over. She turned in the direction of the person. Unfortunately, she still couldn't see them.

"My bad!" Camille echoed, having knocked over an elderly lady. She faced the woman, who did not look pleased. The woman huffed indignantly before whacking the girl with her purse and shuffling away.

Both girls spun around and promptly crashed into what felt like a massive wall. They dropped their bags to the floor, letting out alarmed cries at the sight before them. Mr. Bitters towered over them, tangled in a jumbled mess of various ropes while wrestling with a strip of multi-colored duct tape. He did not look happy.

"You!" He growled, pointing at Jo, "What is the meaning of all this!" He gestured towards himself.

"I-I'm sorry, sir, I have no clue," Jo stuttered. She turned to face Camille, but the girl had disappeared.

"Don't lie to m—" Mr. Bitters began when suddenly, something fell from the ceiling, knocking the poor man to his feet. Camille looked down, surveying the scene. "Eh, he'll be fine, save for a minor concussion and a few bruises."

"Was this what you meant by 'I dealt with him'?" Jo questioned, clearly distressed.

"Yeah," Camille put on her innocent face.

"Couldn't you have done something less…" Jo didn't know how to continue.

"Nope." Camille replied brightly before handing Jo her bags and reaching down to grab her own. The two girls then resumed their stagger-walk to the elevator. But, once again, before they could make it to the elevators, they crashed into another figure. Once again, the person did not look happy.

"Eh hem, what do you girls think you're doing?" Ms. Collins asked, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Um…shopping?" Jo replied, though it came out sounding more like a question.

"We're going to the masquerade tonight, you know, the one held by Big Time Rush?" Camille added brightly.

"Let me think…hmm…nope, haven't heard about it." Ms. Collins made it sound like she couldn't care less. "But I do know that you," She pointed an accusing finger at Jo, "are not going anywhere. I think someone forgot about the Palm Woods school policy."

"The dress code?" Jo asked, confused.

"No, the one that states that no student may participate in school events until all of their missed schoolwork and homework has been completed." Ms. Collins added matter-of-factly, "And you have a _lot_ left to do."

"I…but…" Jo was at a loss for words.

"Wait! The ball isn't a school event, though," Camille objected, "And you can't punish her for something that's Bitters' fault!"

"Uh, first off, everyone at school will be there, so it's close enough, and secondly, I don't meddle with my students' jobs." Ms. Collins refused to budge. "That is why I will be staying with you all night long if necessary, watching you finish ALL of the work you are missing. Have a nice day." With that, she turned heels and left, leaving two stunned girls staring after her, their mouths hanging open stupidly.

"What do I do now?" Jo was the first one to react.

"Oh, nothing, let me handle this, okay?" Camille answered, getting a glint in her eye that Jo knew all too well.

"You aren't going to hurt anyone in the process, are you?" Jo questioned. "And it's not illegal, is it?"

"No, I won't hurt anyone, hopefully, and it probably isn't legal, but if you act like it is all fine, Ms. Collins would be none the wiser. Trust me, would you?" Camille rushed off before Jo could protest, dropping all of her bags onto the floor.

"Well then…" Jo muttered to herself before bending over to pick up all of the fallen bags. She was still staggering under the bulk of all the stuff when she heard someone call her name.

"Aw, poor you, Jo!" Jo craned her neck to see who it was. Three fashionably dressed girls who she recognized from her class were sitting at a table, Pop Tiger magazines in hand. The one in the middle opened her mouth to speak again. "We heard you wouldn't be able to make it to the masquerade!"

"Such a shame!" The other two girls added. All three nodded their heads, looking like oversized Barbie dolls.

"Er…okay?" Jo had no clue how to respond.

"Sweetie, we feel sorry for you!" The blonde girl in the middle clarified.

"Pity, really," the two brunettes on either side of her added.

"Um…thanks," Jo replied, still wary of the girls' true intentions. The other three girls raised their magazines, blocking their faces and signifying that the conversation was over. "Well, see you guys around!" Jo called over her shoulder, already heading for the elevators once more.

* * *

Fifteen stress-filled minutes later, Jo shut the door to her apartment with her foot and spun around.

"AHH!" She cried, dropping everything in fright.

"Shh! It's just me!" Camille thrust a thick packet of paper at Jo and added, "Here's your homework, completely filled out."

"How…what…where?" Jo mumbled, "Okay, explanation, now!

"Well, I know some people." Camille hinted vaguely. However, with a glare from Jo, she added, "I hired some UCLA nerds to do it for you." Three oddly-dressed people who didn't look to be over 18 popped their heads out from behind the counter, waving sheepishly. "Hey," they called out.

Jo waved back before glaring at Camille once more. "She's never going to buy it."

"Sure she will, and if not, I have a Plan B." Camille replied confidently.

Suddenly, the door burst open, an annoyed looking Ms. Collins stepped into the room. "Okay, don't even think about doing what the boys did and hiring some n—" She stopped when she noticed the UCLA nerds in the back of the room. "Looks like you already did. You didn't honestly think I would fall for that, did you?" She waved a finger at Jo and Camille before slamming the door behind her.

Jo turned around and stared daggers at Camille.

"Onto Plan B!" Camille faked enthusiasm. Jo kept staring at her. "Well excuse me for trying!" She muttered under her breath.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Jo found herself hiding in the bushes, wearing a ridiculous tree hat, while spying on her teacher. She turned Camille, who was hunched over next to her.

"Plan B will never work!" She whispered loudly.

"Shh! You don't want her to hear us, do you?" Camille whispered back, gesturing to Ms. Collins, who was sunbathing a mere ten feet away. Her eyes were covered in sun glasses, so the girls weren't sure if she had her eyes open or not. "Okay, ready?"

"Nope," Jo replied, popping the 'p'.

"Alrighty, I'm going to call her now. Just don't make a noise, okay? Buddha Bob promised to take care of the rest, including driving the limo to the airport." Camille ignored the blonde's response.

"One quick question," Jo interrupted, "How did you happen to get your hands on this limo and an airplane ticket to Siberia?"

"I have my sources." Camille answered mysteriously. "Now, let us begin!" She turned on her cell phone and dialed Ms. Collin's number. They watched as their teacher reached into her back pocket and fished out her phone, which was vibrating violently. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Amanda, representative of RCMCBT Global Net Sanyoid Corporation." Camille disguised her voice so well, it almost sounded natural.

"Uh…"

"I'd like to congratulate you on winning our send-a-person-to-a-mystery-location contest!" Jo looked at Camille as if to say, "Really? That's the best you could think of?" The brunette shot a apologetic look back.

"Um…okay, but I never ent—"

"So, ma'am, we'd appreciate it if you would head out right now. We have a limo waiting to take you to the airport right now. Your flight leaves in 20, so hurry!" Camille quickly interrupted.

"Yes, bu—"

"I would _really_ advise that you hurry." Camille insisted. "Now, bye!"

Ms. Collins looked hesitant, but she snapped her phone shut, got up, and walked towards the Palm Woods lobby. Once she was gone, Jo let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

"Do you think it worked?" She asked tentatively.

"No, but we can always hope, right?" Camille replied cheerfully, earning herself a slap on the arm. "Okay, okay, enough messing around, we need to get ready!"

Jo's eyes widened in alarm, "What time is it?"

Camille looked down at her watch, "Oh, just 6 o'cl—holy sh*t! It's already 6! The ball starts at 8! Come on, girl, move it!" She leapt out of the bushes as if it were on fire, Jo following less urgently behind her, rolling her eyes at her overly-dramatic friend.

* * *

"What do you think?" Jo walked into Camille's apartment's living room wearing a sparkling, light blue dress that matched the color of her eyes. Her gloved hands held a black, feathered mask that hid everything but her nose and eyes to her face.

"You look lovely, daahrling," Camille purred. "What do you think about mine?" She spun around for effect, the dark red hem swishing at her feet. She had on black gloves and a mask the same shade as her dress.

"You look amazing as always." Jo complimented. She stuck out her foot from under the skirts of her dress, a look of disgust on her face. "Now if only we could wear more comfortable shoes." Both girls had on delicate, 3-inch heels, which Jo was definitely not used to.

"No!" Camille cried urgently, "We look amazing and this is how we will go to the ball. Don't. Touch. Anything."

"Okay, okay," Jo held up her hands in defeat.

"Now, let's go." Camille entwined her arm with Jo's and the two girls left the apartment.

Meanwhile, in a shiny white limo cruising around L.A., Ms. Collins leaned back in the leather seat, sighing. "So, Buddha Bob, where are you taking me?"

"Uh…the airport…I mean, my name isn't Buddha Bob, its…uh…Bob!" Buddha Bob knew he was a terrible liar, but at least he tried!

"Puh-lease, just tell me where the girls are sending me." Ms. Collins said impatiently.

"Well, you _are_ actually going to the airport. They got you a one-way ticket to Siberia." Buddha Bob quickly added, "Nothing personal, of course."

"Yeah, yeah, I totally believe that." Ms. Collins muttered.

"So, now that you know all about their master plan, you want me to drop you off at the Palm Woods?" Buddha Bob asked, knowing he had failed his job.

"Nah, I'm good," Came the reply.

After a moment's silence, Buddha Bob asked in his unusually low voice, "If you don't mind my asking, how did you figure all this out?"

"I saw them hiding in the bushes." Ms. Collins answered. "And I could tell it was Camille the second she spoke up."

"And you decided to go along with everything?" Buddha Bob asked, unconvinced.

"Well, I figured, if they really wanted to go to the ball, I couldn't really stop them, but I am going to make sure they're back by midnight, or I'll ruin their fun." Ms. Collins replied.

"Ohh…" There was another awkward silence before Buddha Bob interrupted it again, "So…uh…where to?"

"Oh, anywhere you want."

* * *

By the time they arrived at Rocque Records, the party had already kicked off. The boys climbed out of their back-up limo—somehow, their usual one had been stolen earlier today—and into the crisp night air.

"God, this mask is killing me!" Kendall complained, pulling at the scratchy piece of plastic held to his face by an elastic band.

"And we look ridiculous!" Logan added.

"I think I look great." James objected, pulling a mirror out of thin air.

"Yeah, yo—" Before Carlos could finish, he was interrupted by a loud bellow.

"DOGS!" Gustavo came barreling towards them, with Kelly at his heels. "YOU ARE LATE!" He shouted, though he was now only a few feet away. "THIS DOES NOT LOOK GOOD TO THE EXECUTIVES, THEY ARE WAITING FOR YOU!" He screamed into the guys' faces.

"Okay, okay, we'll go in there and talk with them to 'promote sales'," Kendall mocked Gustavo, causing their producer to turn red in anger. "Aww, is wittle Gustawo getting mad?" Gustavo started shaking in anger.

"RUN!" Kelly shouted at the boys, who wasted no time in complying. The assistant watched the guys disappear, then counted to ten before turning to the easily-angered producer. "Okay, breathe, in…out…"

"I'M GOING TO KILL THOSE DOGS!" Gustavo shouted, before breathing deeply.

"Much better," Kelly commented approvingly. "Now, why didn't you tell them you invited everyone from the Palmwoods?"

"Because I didn't want them to feel happy," Gustavo replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, it's bad enough you're making me throw them _another_ bone, but to let them know that?" He shuddered.

"Okay, okay, I get it, but they didn't seem too happy about going to a masked ball in the first place." Kelly thought out loud.

"Yeah, because masquerades are for losers," Gustavo said bluntly.

"Are not!" Kelly objected.

"Are too!" Gustavo insisted.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

It went on and on like this for some time until both adults realized they were being immature, somewhat like the 'dogs'.

* * *

"Hurry! Hurry!" Camille shouted, practically pushing Jo out of the cab.

"Okay, okay, geez!" Jo answered, annoyed. "Why didn't you drive your own car here since you're in such a rush?"

"Because it could get scratched," Camille replied as Jo rolled her eyes. "Now, MOVE IT!"

Jo purposely took her time getting out of the cab, mostly so she could annoy Camille, but also so she could take in their surroundings. Rocque Records was an intimidating place, to say the least. The building's entire 30-something floors were surrounded on all sides by glass windows, which, on a clear night like this one, caused it to glow almost magically. The fountain in the front, which had been left on especially for tonight, sprayed a light layer of mist into the air. People were steadily pouring into the building, dressed up to the max, causing Jo to feel self-conscious. She could faintly hear music blasting from the dance floor and—

"JO!" Camille called out, snapping the blonde out of her trance. "Please get out of the cab."

"Oh, sorry," The girl stepped out of the car and into the slightly chilly night. Camille turned around to pay the taxi driver, who was getting slightly impatient, before climbing out herself.

"Wow!" She mouthed, the sound getting caught in her throat.

"I know right?" Jo agreed. "Now, let's go, lady!" She ran away from her friend, towards the revolving doors. Camille laughed and chased after Jo. The cab driver watched to two girls, shaking his head before pulling away.

The two girls burst through the revolving door, one after the other, but didn't stop there. Following the signs, they ran, laughing hysterically, towards the ballroom. When they got there, they bent over to catch their breath, causing many heads to turn their way. But they couldn't care less. Tonight, they were going to let go and get a little crazy.

* * *

Kendall, Logan, and Carlos stared at the punch bowls sitting innocently on the table in front of them. James had gone off with a random girl the second he arrived. Even behind his mask, he was still a girl-magnet. This left the remaining three boys nothing to do. Even though it was their party, most people hadn't recognized them. Suddenly, they heard hysterical laughter coming from the entrance. The boys turned towards the source of all the commotion. There, standing not far from the door, bent over for some odd reason, were two girls dressed in attention-catching, jaw-dropping gowns. The blonde was wearing a gorgeous light-blue dress while the brunette donned one a deep shade of red. The guys could only hope that the girls themselves were as attractive as their dresses made them seem.

* * *

Then, as if in slow motion, the girls stood up straight and surveyed the crowd. Their eyes quickly scanned over the dance floor with the massive disco ball, the blinding neon light, the completely inexperienced DJ, and landed on three guys standing awkwardly near the punch table. Oddly enough, the guys were looking right back at them.

"You see what I see?" Jo muttered to Camille, who grinned slyly.

"You bet!" Camille replied.

"Let's get them."

* * *

At the same time, the boys were having a lovely debate of their own.

"I called the blonde!" Kendall insisted.

"And I said the brunette was mine!" Logan added.

"But that's not fair!" Carlos protested, throwing in a signature puppy-dog eyes. "And you can't just call a girl, that's not right."

"Yeah, you would know," Kendall muttered, though loudly enough for the Latino boy to hear him.

"Hey!" He protested.

"Guys!" Logan quickly interrupted, "They're coming our way!" The two boys quickly stopped their bickering, turning to straighten their shirts and casually face the punch table as if they indeed were doing something purposeful.

* * *

Jo and Camille watched the guys turn their backs on them.

"Wow, either they are completely lost, or they are really desperate." Jo commented.

"But they're still hot," Camille pointed out.

"I know, I know. Remember, the blonde one is mine." Jo replied.

"Yeah, and the taller brunette, the one with the lopsided grin is mine." Camille added.

"Alright, let's go kick some butt!"

* * *

Kendall turned around when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He looked right into the eyes of the blonde girl from before. She had the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen, well, except for yesterday, when he accidently hit that other girl with the door. Instinctively, he cringed.

"Oops, did I do something wrong?" Jo asked, concerned.

"No, no, I was just thinking of something I did yesterday." Kendall answered vaguely.

"Er…okay," Jo replied.

"Well, I accidently hit a girl," Kendall cringed again, this time along with Jo, "But it was completely and accident." He added. "Anyways, she had these gorgeous blue eyes, very similar to yours."

Jo didn't know whether to be flattered or angry. A bell in the back of her mind was ringing like crazy, but she decided to ignore it. "So there's another girl? I'm so sorry! I had no idea, I just thought since…you know…" She trailed off.

"No, no! I never even got that girl's name!" Kendall quickly clarified.

"Oh, good, because I was wondering if you'd like to dance," Jo looked down at her feet, suddenly wondering if she was being to bold.

"I would love to." Kendall took her hand and led her to the dance floor. The DJ was playing a slow tune that he didn't quite recognize.

"I love this song!" Jo commented, turning to face Kendall. She let go of his hand and placed hers on his shoulder. He reached down to place a both hands around her waist. The two swayed to the beat, lost in their own world.

* * *

"Hey!"

Logan spun around and found himself face-to-face with the prettiest girl he had ever seen. Sure, she looked a little crazy, but he could deal. "Hey," he replied shyly. For some reason, a blush crept onto his face.

"You liking the punch?" Camille asked, then immediately blushing. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ She admonished in her head.

"Yeah, actually, it's not that bad." Logan replied sincerely. "Now, normally I'd get some for you, but I was kind of wondering if you'd maybe like to…um, dance?" He was rambling again, like he always did in front of a pretty girl.

"I would love to." Camille replied, ignoring Logan's failed attempt to speak. She reached over and eagerly led him to the dance floor. She placed her hands on his shoulders and he placed his around her waist, like all of the other couples on the dance floor. Camille looked over the boy's shoulder and watched as Jo hit it off with tall, blonde and eyebrows. That's when she realized she didn't even know the boy's name.

"Okay, this is kind of awkward, but I realized, I don't even know your name!" Camille voiced her concerns. "I'm Camille, by the way."

"A lovely name for a beautiful girl," Logan complimented, chuckling as Camille blushed. "I'm Logan."

Meanwhile, Kendall and Jo were dancing in silence, letting the noise of the party wash over them.

"Soo…" Jo began awkwardly, before she was silenced by Kendall.

"Shhh…I like the silence. I mean, can't we just enjoy each other's presence?" He took one hand off her waist and placed a finger on her lips. "Just until this song is over, okay?"

Jo nodded, her eyes on the boy's finger.

* * *

Carlos spun around to find himself all alone at the punch table. Typical, typical, typical. But, honestly, he was hoping something different might happen. That perhaps, just this once, he would walk off with the girl, instead of the rest of the guys. Unfortunately, that hadn't happened. His huge brown eyes filled with tears, tears of pity, threatening to overflow. He hated himself for it, but no matter how hard he wished, nothing good ever came out of it. He had never, ever had a girlfriend, and James threw them around, messed with them as if they were his toys! He had no idea what he was doing wrong. Suddenly, the dam broke. The warm tears flowed freely, painting dark trails down his face. Noticing the stares, Carlos ducked his head and made a beeline for the nearest bathroom stall. Luckily, most party-goers hadn't quite enjoyed everything the punch table had to offer just yet, so it was empty. He tore off his mask, snapping the elastic in frustration. Then, he ran to the mirror and stared at his face in disgust. The tears had caused his face to turn all blotchy and made his eyes puffy. He was truly a sight. Unable to do anything about it and feeling utterly hopeless, Carlos broke down and collapsed onto one of the empty toilets. He couldn't care less if anyone saw him.

* * *

The song ended and the DJ spoke into the microphone. "Alright, party people, the next song I'm going to play will be a hit by our favorite band, and not to mention the hosts of this wicked party, Big Time Rush! Now give it up for their song, Music Sounds Better With You!" He hit something on the computer and the music changed to the faster, more upbeat tune Jo was familiar with.

"Wow, I'm hearing this song a lot today!" Jo commented.

"Oh yeah?" Kendall asked, surprised.

"Yeah, and," Jo suddenly shouted, the adrenaline and party vibes finally getting to her, "I LOVE IT!" She threw her hands into the air and laughed. "Come on!" She called to Kendall, who was standing off to the side, watching her with a small smile.

"Alright, alright," Kendall gave in and joined her.

* * *

Upon hearing the song change, Logan and Camille decided that they were not in the mood for the more energetic dancing and decided to take a break. That's how they wound up back at the punch table.

"Wow, this punch _is_ really good!" Camille's eyes went wide.

"I know right?" Logan laughed, shooting her one of his lopsided grins that she had grown to love.

"So, want to tell me a little about yourself?" Camille asked.

Logan grinned, "Where to start? Well, I'm Logan Mitchell, I'm in—"

"—wait, wait, wait!" Camille practically shrieked. "Logan Mitchell, as in _the_ Logan Mitchell from Big Time Rush?"

"Is there another one?" Logan asked, suddenly afraid that Camille would go all fan-girl on him.

"I can—" Camille stopped abruptly, realizing how stupid she sounded. "What I mean is, I'm really glad to meet you, though I am a bit surprised."

Logan chuckled. "Well, this _is_ hosted by BTR, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Camille had a daydream-y look in her eyes. "Look, I totally understand if you want to just walk away right now, but would you like to escape this," She gestured to the party, "and just walk around outside?"

"Why would I leave you?" Logan asked, "And this party isn't that bad, is it?" He feigned a hurt look.

"No, no, I just want to get away for a little bit," Camille clarified. "And, after I freaked out at you, I thought maybe you'd want to avoid me for the rest of your life."

"Please, I've been through worse," Logan brushed it away as if it were nothing. "Besides, I think you're cute."

Under her mask, Camille blushed. "Thanks,"

"Well then, what are you waiting for?" Logan held out his arm, which she gladly took, and walked out the back door into the night.

* * *

After a good thirty minutes of self-pity, Carlos had had enough. He quickly doused his face with a splash of water and walked out the door.

"Oof!" Carlos gasped as he collided with someone. He rebounded an impressive three feet backwards and landed on his butt. "Dude, what was th—" He began, ready to tear the person apart, only to find himself face-to-face with the prettiest girl he had ever seen. She had long and wavy brown hair that hung framed her face, a few loose strands hung in front of her eyes. A dark green mask that complimented the color of her light green dress hid the rest of her face.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" She cried, reaching a hand out to help Carlos up, looking into his eyes while doing so.

"Uh huh…what? Oh, sorry, that's completely, totally, fine with me! I mean…" Carlos rambled on and on.

"You know what? Just take my hand!" The girl smiled to show that she wasn't really annoyed. Carlos smiled sheepishly at her before hopping to his feet.

"Don't need my help now, do you?" The girl pretended to be insulted. "And now you've hurt my feelings!"

"No, no, no! I'm so sorry!" Carlos quickly apologized.

"I know what you can do to make it up to me." Carlos stared dreamily into the girl's eyes.

"Uh huh…" He mumbled.

"Dance with me." It wasn't a question, but rather a command.

"Okay," Carlos replied brightly, choosing now to take the girl's hand. He led her towards the dance floor.

"Wait!" The girl pulled her hand from Carlos' surprisingly strong grasp. "I'm Stephanie." She stuck her hand back out, this time expecting a hand shake.

"Nice to meet you, Stephanie, I'm Carlos," Carlos replied, taking Stephanie's hand and eagerly shaking it up and down. He grinned before suddenly spinning her around. Seeing that she was still slightly off balance, he grabbed her hand and quickly ran towards the dance floor once more, Stephanie giggling behind him.

* * *

Kendall spied Carlos leading a pretty brunette girl onto the dance floor out of the corner of his eye—or, out of his 'peripherals', as he liked to put it, and couldn't help grinning.

"Whatcha laughing at? Is my dancing really that bad?" Jo turned towards him, a goofy smile plastered across her own face.

"Nope, I saw our ever-lonely buddy Carlos leading a _girl_ onto the dance floor!" Kendall replied with a voice of disbelief, "Quick! Write down the time and date! It's a historical day!" He joked.

"Haha, real funny," Jo said sarcastically.

"I _am__, _aren't I?" Kendall admitted, feigning modesty. "Sorry to crash your party, but do you mind if we get something to drink then maybe head out to watch the stars?"

"That sounds perfect," Jo replied. Kendall grasped her hand and led her towards the punch table. As if it were a huge coincidence, or maybe a bad omen, the song changed to Karmin's Crash Your Party.

"Oooh! I love this song!" Jo cried excitedly. Then, in a much quieter voice, she added, "I feel like it really connects, you know?"

"Yeah," Kendall replied absentmindedly. A worried thought crossed his mind. Crash Your Party wasn't exactly about love, happiness, and all the other good stuff; it was about a jerk-of-a-boyfriend and getting revenge. What did that have to do with this girl?

"Hello?" Jo waved her hands in front of the blonde's face, trying to get his attention. "Anyone in there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I just spaced for a second, sorry," Kendall gave her a sheepish grin. "You want to get punch?"

* * *

James wasn't exactly having the greatest night, which was a surprise, considering he _loved_ parties. He _was_ half of the Hollywood Party Kings of Hollywood, after all! In fact, he was starting to get slightly worried. The girl sitting next to him had seemed _perfectly_ normal when he first saw her, in his defense. Sadly, that wasn't the case. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought that she was currently rattling off about how their 7th child should be named Lucky, for good luck of course. He had lost her somewhere around the first child. Seriously, it wasn't like they had just met or anything.

"Uh, Amy, was it? Would you mind if I got us drinks?" James suddenly asked, interrupting the girl in the middle of her 'speech'.

"It's actually Hannah, and I would love some punch," She replied, batting her eyelashes furiously. James mentally hit himself—_stupid, Amy was the girl from the last party_—then practically ran away. He flew by the punch table and ran out the door, glad to be over and done with _her_.

"Hey James," A voice called.

"Aaa—oof," James shrieked and ran straight into a body. "What are you doing out here?" He untangled himself from the girl.

"Oh, just checking to make sure you wouldn't run away," Hannah replied. She took a step closer.

James cursed under his breath.

* * *

"Come on, I've got the _perfect_ place," Kendall called out, grabbing the girl's hand while tossing their empty cups into the trash. He led her towards an inconspicuous back door.

"And where might that be?" Jo asked, puzzled, "I mean, shouldn't we be heading out the other way?"

"Oh, no, a special girl deserves a special place to watch the skies from." Kendall replied, grinning mischievously. They ran up two flights of stairs, through half a dozen doorways—many of which were labeled 'restricted'—and wound down so many hallways, only one who knew the place well could have managed to pull it off. They finally arrived at a single black door. Kendall opened it proudly, "And by that, I mean…"

"…the roof!" Jo finished, stepping out into the open air.

"Yep, you're actually the first girl I've ever taken up here," Kendall replied, suddenly wrapping his arms around her waist from the back. The door swung close with a loud bang. The wind chose that exact moment to pick up, winding itself around the couple. It was a picture perfect moment, so, obviously, they kissed. Kendall slowly leaned in, almost unsure of himself. Jo merely grinned, biting the edge of her lip before standing on her tiptoes and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. She pulled back, only to find herself looking back into the boy's emerald eyes. He smiled slightly before kissing her again, this time a little more passionate. Both of them would deny it later on, but at that exact moment, as cliché as it sounded, fireworks exploded and they were filled with that warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

"Why me?" Jo asked, finally opening her eyes after a moment's silence.

"I don't know, I just had this feeling…I thought maybe…I don't know," Kendall finally concluded.

"And, judging from your excellent navigational skills, you're quite familiar with this place?"

"Actually, I wo—" Kendall's phone buzzed and he groaned in frustration. "Look, I'm really sorry, the only person who would text me right now would be my producer, or my parents, and in either case, it would have to be really important, do you mind if I take this?"

"Sure, sure, it's no problem," Kendall sighed in relief before looking down. He ran a hand through his wind-tousled hair subconsciously. He groaned again, before pocketing his phone into his jacket.

"Ugh, I'm so sorry, my producer wants me to head down really quick, I'll be back in ten, tops, okay?" Kendall clarified.

"Again, it's no problem, you take your time, okay?" Jo shivered, having worn nothing but a knee-length, strapless gown.

"Here, take my jacket," Kendall took his off and draped it over the girl's shoulders before she could protest. He then turned and ran off.

Jo lay down onto the hard cement floor—well, roof, rather—and closed her eyes. She didn't fall asleep, she didn't try to sleep. Rather, she just lay there, taking everything in. After what felt like forever, she got up and looked around. No sign of the boy. She glanced at her phone. It had been over half an hour. Tired of waiting, she decided to take a risk and navigate the labyrinth of halls by herself. Maybe through some crazy stroke of luck, she'll find her way back.

* * *

Fifteen minutes and countless wrong turns later, Jo stumbled through the back door and into the Rocque Records ballroom relieved to find the party still in full swing. She walked around, not quite sure of what she was doing. That's when she saw him. Or, rather, she saw _them_.

The blonde girl had him pinned against the wall by the back of the room, though still in plain view of the rest of the crowd. She was flanked by two brunettes, one with curly hair and one with straight hair. The blonde rested a hand on the boy's chest, as if claiming him. She then reached her other hand out and tangled her fingers in the boy's hair. He looked surprised, but it didn't look like he was protesting, either. Then, lightning fast, the blonde swooped in and captured his lips in hers. For the longest time, the two stood there kissing until the boy pushed the girl away. He looked slightly disgusted. Shaking his head, he walked away from the girl, who merely smirked. That's when he looked up and met Jo's eyes—the same emerald green ones that she had fallen for earlier at the party.

Betrayal. Jo felt as if her heart had been torn into a million pieces. She turned, roughly wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, and ran away. She didn't bother to find Camille, it would be a waste of time, and totally unfair for Camille. Instead, she raced out the door, down the hall and back the way she had come. She could hear footsteps behind her and she knew it was him, but she didn't care. After what he had done, he deserved a hard slap in the face. Finally, panting, she made her way out onto the curb. It was dark. And the street was completely empty. _Stupid._ Jo thought to herself. Of course no one would be driving around here at this time! Now she was going to have to go back—and face _him_!

Miraculously, she was saved by the one and only person she had hoped to avoid. Ms. Collins. Her teacher pulled up in a sleek limousine, clearly relaxed from her tour of LA. She rolled the window down and glanced at her disheveled pupil. Clearly debating wither herself, she stared for a moment before opening her mouth and uttering the exact words Jo was hoping to hear, "Need a ride?"

* * *

Kendall burst through the doors just in time to see an oddly familiar limousine disappear around the corner. The girl was nowhere in sight. _Perfect_, he thought, _just perfect! You just had to go and screw things up, didn't you, Jennifer?_ In the back of his mind, he knew that it was also his fault, it was his fault for trusting the girl—or girls—in the first place, but as of now, he wasn't in the mood for thinking rationally. So, he collapsed onto the curb, feeling heartbroken, regretful, and a colorful blend of other emotions that he couldn't quite name. To put it simply, his chest hurt.

* * *

"So, how was it?" Ms. Collins asked as Buddha Bob pulled away from Rocque Records. Much to her surprise, he actually turned out to be a terrific driver and tour guide. But that was besides the point.

"Uh…terrible?" Jo replied uncertainly.

"Good." Ms. Collins smiled, "Have you learned your lesson?"

"No?" Jo made it sound like a question.

"What she means is 'yes'!" Buddha Bob called from the driver's wheel.

"Yes, I mean yes!" Jo corrected herself.

"Good. I'm glad I didn't need to drag you out of there."

"Why would you do that?"

"Eh, I told myself I would give you until midnight."

"Until midnight to do what?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

At that moment, Ms. Collin's watch flickered and the time changed to, well, none other than 12:00.

The rest of the car ride was uneventful, a ten minute ride in silence.

Upon reaching the Palmwoods, and more importantly, her room, Jo collapsed onto the bed, sobbing all over again. She flipped over and sat up to take her dress off, and that was when she noticed that she still had his jacket on. She took it off and was preparing to throw it on the floor and stomp on it a couple hundred times when something in the pocket vibrated. She reached inside with her hand and pulled out a small black phone. The same one he had been texting on earlier.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea and tiredness washed over her and it was all she could do to stay awake long enough to strip her dress of and toss the phone onto the nightstand before falling asleep. She was literally out cold before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

The rest of the night was a blur for Kendall. All he really paid attention to was how tired he felt and how much he wanted to go home. So that was exactly what he did. Upon setting foot in apartment 2J, both Ms. Knight and Katie were onto him like hawks. It was almost as if they could sense his distress or something.

"Before you kill me, could I just get one last night of sleep in?" He mumbled as he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, Jo woke disoriented and groggy. She found a note on her nightstand from Camille. By the looks of it, she wasn't happy that Jo had ditched her the night before. On the bright side, she had weaned another day of rest out of Bitters for Jo, so maybe things weren't so bad after all. Jo's eyes wandered to the phone that lay inconspicuously next to Camille's note. She reached over and grabbed it, her curiosity getting the best of her. Luckily, the boy hadn't bothered to put a passcode. There were twelve unread messages, each with it's own red bubble above it, as if calling out to her saying, "Read me! Read me!" There was only one thing that stood out to her: the two words, Kendall Knight. She had found her culprit.

* * *

Kendall woke up the next day and reached for his phone, only to find it wasn't there. Come to think of it, he didn't remember putting it here the night before. In fact, the last time he saw it was…when he put it in his jacket while on the roof with that girl. And the jacket…was still with the girl.

"Hey, buddy!" James, Logan, and Carlos all burst through his door, causing Kendall to fall out of his bed in shock. Once he had picked himself up and brushed himself off as indignantly as he could muster, he turned towards them.

"What?" He snapped, slightly annoyed.

"Woah there! Why so grumpy?" James asked, holding his hands up in defense.

"Yeah, we were just worried about you!" Carlos added brightly. When Logan elbowed him in the stomach, he corrected himself, "I mean," in a less upbeat tone he continued, "We were really worried about you."

"What he means is, don't ever disappear on us again, okay?" Logan asked sternly, but also with concern.

"Uh huh," Kendall muttered, his thoughts having wandered to the girl from yesterday night once more. "I didn't even know her name…" He mumbled.

"You didn't know whose name?" James prompted.

"No one!" Kendall quickly denied—a little too quickly.

"Who was it?" Logan asked, eyes narrowed.

"No one!" Kendall insisted again, to no avail. The other guys looked at him skeptically. "Fine, it was this girl I met at the party yesterday. She kind of ran off on me, before I could explain. I think she has my phone as well."

"Woah, what?" Carlos asked, confused. "Why does she have your phone?"

"Because I left it in my jacket," Kendall made it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.

"And why did she have your jacket?" James prodded.

"Because we were on the roof," Kendall replied.

"What! No! You won't even take _us_ up there!" The three of them protested.

"Yeah, well…" Kendall looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Wait, she has your phone?" Carlos asked again, still confused.

"Yeah, I thought we already established this, genius," Logan slapped him on the back of the head.

"Well, if she has his phone, can't we put, like, missing posters up across the Palmwoods?" Carlos wondered out loud.

"Yeah, we'll put up posters for a missing phone. Real reasonable. Why can't he look in the lost-and-found?" James asked.

"Because _she_ probably has it, stupid!" Carlos shot back, making sense for once in his life.

"That's actually not that bad…" Logan murmured, "And since all of the guests were from the Palmwoods, that really narrows things down a bit. We could just put our apartment number on the posters and tell them to come here!"

"Yes!" Kendall cried out, unusually excited. The other guys looked at him oddly, as if prompting an explanation. "For once I didn't have to come up with the plan." He smiled sheepishly, but the other guys only shrugged as if it were nothing.

"Now, move out!" Kendall called.

* * *

"Jo! You might want to see this!" Camille burst into Jo's apartment waving a colorful piece of paper.

"What?" Jo peeled her face from the couch and turned to face her friend, who shoved the paper in her face. "I can't see it if you hold it that close."

"Oh, right," Camille held it back a little. "How's that?"

"Better, now be quiet." Jo's eyes quickly scanned the page, but it was the picture in the middle that caught her eye. The picture was of a phone, a small black one identical to the one laying innocently on her nightstand. "Missing…visit apartment 2J…" She murmured.

"Do you know what this means?" Camille jumped up and down in excitement.

"Uh, no?" Jo replied.

"It means that we _have_ to find the phone!" Camille answered her own question, "That way, we can meet BTR!"

"Puh-lease, don't waste your time!" Jo tried to deter her friend.

"You're hiding something." Camille stated suddenly.

"Psh, no, you're hiding something!" Jo countered.

"Well, actually, now that you mention it, I met Logan!" Camille squealed.

"Did you get his number?" Jo wasn't in the mood to point out that she _hadn't_ mentioned anything.

"No." Camille said flatly. "Which is why we need to find the phone."

"Or you could go to their apartment, knock on their door like a normal person, and say hi." Jo suggested.

"Ooh! That's a great idea! Thanks! You're the best!" Camille called out as she raced back out the door. Jo shook her head and sighed. She didn't know why, but she thought it best not to let her friend know exactly where the phone was sitting. Luckily, the subject was never brought up again.

* * *

On the other hand, the boys were constantly being pestered with false alarms. For weeks, they dealt with crazy fan girls and other strange characters who showed up at their doorstep, each clutching a fake phone, or a lousy excuse, or both. Each time, they were politely turned down, and a door was closed in their face. Kendall closed the door on another young fan before sighing and flopping down onto the couch.

"We'll never find her!" He moaned.

"Sure you will, sweetie, if you try hard enough and wait long enough," Ms. Knight told him, while comfortingly patting his back.

"Actually, the chances of that happening are like, one in a thousand. So, good luck with that!" Katie said brightly before walking into her room and slamming the door shut, Ms. Knight following after her while muttering something about 'kids these days'.

"Ugh!" Kendall cried in frustration again. He never felt so desperate. In fact, maybe it was time for Plan B. Slowly, and as silently as he could, Kendall crept into James' room. The face of BTR was nowhere in sight—presumably down by the pool, tanning—but his hyperactive roommate was fast asleep, an hour or so into his afternoon nap. He reached the table and grabbed James' phone, then quickly crept out of the room. He looked down at the screen, fingers blurring as he typed in one passcode after another. He thought for a moment before it hit him. It was _so _obvious, he felt stupid not figuring it out earlier.

"Aha!" Kendall cried as the welcome look of the phone's home screen appeared. Quickly, before he could change his mind, he reached a finger out and tapped the messages icon. With suddenly shaky fingers, he typed out his message, then hit send to a number he never thought he'd ever text.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Jo's apartment, the small black phone vibrated, having been left, neglected on her nightstand for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Jo was busy at work. Later that night, she would come home to find many missed texts, but that would be later, after Kendall had tried and almost given up.

* * *

Without thinking, Kendall typed a follow-up message. He was _so_ sure that she would respond, so sure that he found finally get to know her name. Somehow, the night's events had slipped his mind. All that he could think about was how he had found her.

Another three hours later, with no response from the girl, he had was pretty much convinced that she had slipped through his fingers, when he felt James' phone vibrate in his pocket. The pretty boy hadn't noticed and hopefully won't mind him 'borrowing' it for a day or so. Eagerly, Kendall pulled out the phone and checked his new message.

_Don't you think you should be over everything by now?_

Smiling, Kendall typed up his reply.

_Nope, are you saying that you are?_

Less than five seconds later, he got his response.

_I'm not saying anything._

He bit his lip before replying.

_I'm really sorry about what happened, okay? Do you think we could meet up somewhere and just get everything straight?_

A minute ticked by, then another, he was starting to worry.

_How do I know you're not a stalker?_

Kendall grinned.

_So I'll meet you in the Palmwoods park in an hour?_

_Sounds good to me_.

* * *

In her apartment, Jo snapped the phone shut, mind racing. What in the world had she done? Why had she forgiven him so quickly? Like he said, was she really over it? There was only one way to find out. She was just about to head out to find Camille when she remembered her sticky predicament—Camille knew nothing about the phone and Jo intended to keep it that way. _Looks like it's all up to me_, she thought to herself.

* * *

_Oh god, oh god, oh god, what have I done?_ Kendall paced up and down the living room occasionally muttering to himself as Katie and his mom watched in amusement. Last time he checked, they had been juggling commenting on what he was doing wrong and munching on popcorn from a huge bowl set between them on the orange sofa.

"…See? Now that is _not_ how you handle stress…remember that, okay, Katie?" Mama Knight was saying to her youngest child.

"Mo-om!" Katie complained. "I'm _way_ more mature than Ken-dork here is!"

"I know, I know, but just in case…." Mama Knight trailed off.

"Whatever," Katie grumbled.

"I tried! I tried!" Mama Knight stood up, holding her hands in the air in defeat. She walked towards the kitchen, muttering something under her breath.

"Wait! Who says she's more mature than me!" Kendall suddenly burst out, stopping mid-step.

"Everyone." Katie deadpanned.

"Oh…well, in that case…WHAT DO I DO?" Kendall asked.

"Tell her the truth." Katie replied.

"I can't!" Kendall cried.

"Why not?"

"Oh, so I'll tell her I was heading back when blonde Jennifer stopped me, cornered me, and then kissed me? Yeah, totally believable!"

"What other option do you have?"

"Fine."

"Fine."

"You sound like mom."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do to—"

"—Hey! Is there something wrong with sounding like me?" Mama Knight interrupted. "Oh, and, Kendall, sweetie, Katie's right, it's the only choice you've got." Katie stuck her tongue out at Kendall, who promptly replied, "Yeah, real mature."

"Well, at least I don't—" Katie started to retort.

"Okay, that is en-ough!" Mama Knight interrupted. "Kendall, go do something away from here. Katie, you too."

"Love you, baby sister," Kendall faked a smile.

"Love you too, big brother," Katie imitated him.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Kendall found himself sitting on one of Palmwoods park's dilapidated park benches, staring off at nothing in particular. He shivered in his thin jacket as the chilly evening air swirled around him. The leaves on the ground rustled and danced in the wind, but the footsteps he longed to hear had yet to come. The sun was slowly setting in the horizon, painting the edges a pretty purple-pink color. However, not too far off hung large, ominous rain clouds, dark and heavy compared to the rest of the sky. Like most sensible people, the residents of Palmwoods park had cleared out, leaving the place deserted save for a heart-broken boy sitting all by himself. Kendall was beginning to wonder if this was a good time. Heck, he was starting to wonder if this had been a good idea in the first place. Curse him and his impulses.

* * *

Jo glanced at her watch and saw that she had exactly two minutes. Not surprisingly, she was beginning to doubt her decision. First off, how in the world was she supposed to find this 'Kendall Knight' in the whole of Palmwoods park? It's not like she was going to go up to every stranger she saw and ask, "Hi! Are you the stranger I met at the party a month ago?" As if! On second thought…maybe she would…But that wasn't her only worry! Who was this guy? Could she trust him? Why did she want to see him so bad after what he did to her? The questions tumbled around in her mind, leaving her jumpy and restless as she walked silently down the path. Suddenly, a plump raindrop shattered across her skin. Jo looked up, only to be met by another, followed by another, and yet another raindrop, each splattering softly against her. She tilted her head further upwards, closed her eyes, and grinned, relishing the coolness of the light rain. For others, rain was a depressing time, weather that meant you were stuck inside all day, but not to Jo. She loved the rain, the way it washed everything away, and the clean, fresh feeling it left behind.

* * *

Kendall heard the crunch of fallen leaves before the first raindrop hit him. The others quickly followed in suit, landing on his shaggy blonde hair as his neck snapped up. A wide, genuine smile spread across his face. To anyone else, the petite, blonde girl would have looked ridiculous—she stood with her head tilted towards the sky, as if she were trying to catch the raindrops on her face—but to Kendall, she was simply beautiful. The mist hung off her skin like a light and pure aura, her face radiating the glow from the receding sun. Unable to resist himself, Kendall stood and walked towards her. When he was a mere three feet away, he reached a hand out and touched her shoulder.

"Holy!" Jo cried out as she felt someone touch her. Her eyes shot open and instantly, the moment was shattered. "What was tha—oh…it's you…"

"That's all I get?" Kendall smirked, "After waiting a month to see you again?"

"Yeah, well you deserved it, jerk," Jo smiled to show she was kidding. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were also the one who helped me up that afternoon in 2J, weren't you?"

"Yep, that's me," Kendall replied, "Now, before I lose the chance, I'm Kendall, Kendall Knight."

"Jo, Jo Taylor," Jo responded. She tapped her foot, as if waiting for something. "Is there anything _else_ you want to say?"

"Uh…oh! Right! About that night…" Kendall paused, unsure as to where to take it, "Would you believe me if I told you Jennifer kissed me?"

"No," Jo replied bluntly, "Since you obviously kissed her back."

"Oh…" Kendall murmured, "I'm sorry?"

"You bet you are!" Jo answered, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

"Huh?"

"Stupid boys...I don't believe you, but I forgive you. I think. But what took you so long to get back?"

"Gustavo, our producer, wanted to have an emergency band meeting."

"Oh,"

"Oh,"

He smiled. She smiled. The rain continued, unrelenting, yet gentle, but the couple seemed almost unaffected by their surroundings as they leaned in towards each other. The kiss was simple, soft, and yet full of emotion. They stayed together, content with being with each other—finally—for what felt like eternity. When they finally broke apart, they stood there, grinning at each other. Then, suddenly, as quickly as it had started, the rain cloud passed over and the rain stopped. The setting sun's rays peaked out from over the horizon as if saying, "I'm not gone yet!", painting the sky a brilliant collage of colors, from bright yellow at it's very roots to a deep, dark blue in the far corners of the sky. For once, everything seemed complete.

* * *

**A/N: **So...what do you think? Sorry if the tone/style changes a lot, I was writing this on and off for a while. Oh, and about the ending...if you think it was too mushy, too cliche (too abrupt), sorry, but it was fun to write, so it was worth it. By the way, if there are any mistakes-I only read through the entire things twice-please let me know! I don't want them to just sit there (as a writer, that would be embarrassing)!

Anywho, I have some questions for you guys.

First off, how was it? Please give me some feedback! Hate it? Love it?

Secondly, what do you think James' password is? Just wondering!

Thirdly (is that a word?), is this believable? Was it too rushed?

And, finally, should I do another one involving Snow White or something (with like, um...Logan and Camille)?

Oh, and, one last thing, in case you didn't get it, here are the analogies:

Cinderella: Jo

Prince: Kendall

Stepmother: Ms. Collins

Stepsisters: The Jennifers

Fairy Godmother: Camille

Glass Slipper: Phone

I think that's about it. As always, thanks for reading!

*Thinks to self* Finally! After (what feels like) 2 months, it's done!


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